Fits and Starts....

My fall decorating is happening in tiny bits of time here and there........still need the boxes (I've asked for help getting) down from the attic. Number 2 son is coming home this weekend and I'll get him to help me; he's always good for helping Mom! It's his birthday coming up; he'll be 20!! and then two days later, my daughter turns 18!! How did this happen!?! Well, anyway there will be plenty of celebrating going on here for the next week to ten days. If that's not a challenge to a diet, I don't know what is!!!

I thought I'd show you the fall arrangement I made with some fall foliage I bought last year at
HL at 90% off...gotta love that. I think it turned out lovely for about a ten minute stint of sticking stems in my Verona Olive Jar.......of course, a Southern Living at HOME product! Here she is. I have her in my foyer to greet my guests......

Fits and Starts....

My fall decorating is happening in tiny bits of time here and there........still need the boxes (I've asked for help getting) down from the attic. Number 2 son is coming home this weekend and I'll get him to help me; he's always good for helping Mom! It's his birthday coming up; he'll be 20!! and then two days later, my daughter turns 18!! How did this happen!?! Well, anyway there will be plenty of celebrating going on here for the next week to ten days. If that's not a challenge to a diet, I don't know what is!!!

I thought I'd show you the fall arrangement I made with some fall foliage I bought last year at
HL at 90% off...gotta love that. I think it turned out lovely for about a ten minute stint of sticking stems in my Verona Olive Jar.......of course, a Southern Living at HOME product! Here she is. I have her in my foyer to greet my guests......

Chubby Hubby Cookies.......worth the effort!!

I had to edit this recipe from the original one I posted last week, as somehow I posted the wrong instructions for preparing the cookies to bake. Thanks to my friend Renee, for discovering the mistake. I hope no one was inconvenienced by the error!

Caramel Swirl Chubby Hubby Cookies

1 c. butter, softened

½ c. granulated sugar

½ c. light brown sugar

1 large egg

2 t. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

½ t. baking soda

¼ t. salt

2 c. Nestle caramel and choc. swirl chips

(I use the white choc. and semi sweet chips)

½ c. salted peanuts

1 ¼ c. crushed pretzels (I used the square waffles and broke each approx. into fourths

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Blend into

Creamed mixture until just combined. Stir in chips, peanuts, and pretzels by hand.

Drop by heaping 1/8 cupfuls about 2 inches apart onto parchment lined cookie sheet.

You should get about 20 big cookie dough balls. (I make mine a little smaller). Flatten

just slightly. Freeze cookie dough balls on cookie sheet for 15 to 20 minutes. Bake for

15 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still slightly soft. Cool

one minute on cookie sheet. Cool completely on wire racks.

Chubby Hubby Cookies.......worth the effort!!

I had to edit this recipe from the original one I posted last week, as somehow I posted the wrong instructions for preparing the cookies to bake. Thanks to my friend Renee, for discovering the mistake. I hope no one was inconvenienced by the error!

Caramel Swirl Chubby Hubby Cookies

1 c. butter, softened

½ c. granulated sugar

½ c. light brown sugar

1 large egg

2 t. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

½ t. baking soda

¼ t. salt

2 c. Nestle caramel and choc. swirl chips

(I use the white choc. and semi sweet chips)

½ c. salted peanuts

1 ¼ c. crushed pretzels (I used the square waffles and broke each approx. into fourths

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Blend into

Creamed mixture until just combined. Stir in chips, peanuts, and pretzels by hand.

Drop by heaping 1/8 cupfuls about 2 inches apart onto parchment lined cookie sheet.

You should get about 20 big cookie dough balls. (I make mine a little smaller). Flatten

just slightly. Freeze cookie dough balls on cookie sheet for 15 to 20 minutes. Bake for

15 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still slightly soft. Cool

one minute on cookie sheet. Cool completely on wire racks.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired
His understanding is inscrutable.

Isa. 40:23


Please pray today for Andrew, Mel's son, and for many others who suffer, both physically and emotionally. We MUST believe that God understands, that He is good, and that He has the power to heal and restore!

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired
His understanding is inscrutable.

Isa. 40:23


Please pray today for Andrew, Mel's son, and for many others who suffer, both physically and emotionally. We MUST believe that God understands, that He is good, and that He has the power to heal and restore!

Read very carefully.....

I figure if I can entertain you for a few minutes, you won't realize that I've gotten few of my goals done this week....at least concerning Fall decorating. I've done many, many other things....as well as putting some or a million fires out; well, not literally. That's what I call when you get sidetracked a few million times a day or week....kind of like the alligator game at Chuck E Cheese, where the alligator head keeps popping up and you have to bop it back down...and it keeps popping up faster and faster...??? Remember that one? In my world, putting out fires is doing things like running errands, taking the flash drive up to school when my daughter had to have it, but left it at home in the computer, making a few deliveries, picking up those two or three items that you really need to finish dinner, etc.....you know you know what I mean, and I know you know what I mean......distracted yet???? So I went on an internet hunt...do you do that??? Sometimes it's fun to google something and see what images you get.....so here's a few fun ones I thought I'd share.


This little friend was found over here on HGTV........adorable, yes???


And this giant "pumpkin" is actually made out of IMPATIENS and was spotted in the Dallas Arboretum.... I found it by googling pumpkin topiaries....didn't make a run to Dallas for y'all today to get this pic! Isn't it amazing????

These caught my eye, as they just seem to be the perfect combination of colors and textures........found HERE....

And lastly I leave you with a photo that ALWAYS makes me smile!!!

Have a great Friday, y'all! I'll be on the run again.......take care!

Read very carefully.....

I figure if I can entertain you for a few minutes, you won't realize that I've gotten few of my goals done this week....at least concerning Fall decorating. I've done many, many other things....as well as putting some or a million fires out; well, not literally. That's what I call when you get sidetracked a few million times a day or week....kind of like the alligator game at Chuck E Cheese, where the alligator head keeps popping up and you have to bop it back down...and it keeps popping up faster and faster...??? Remember that one? In my world, putting out fires is doing things like running errands, taking the flash drive up to school when my daughter had to have it, but left it at home in the computer, making a few deliveries, picking up those two or three items that you really need to finish dinner, etc.....you know you know what I mean, and I know you know what I mean......distracted yet???? So I went on an internet hunt...do you do that??? Sometimes it's fun to google something and see what images you get.....so here's a few fun ones I thought I'd share.


This little friend was found over here on HGTV........adorable, yes???


And this giant "pumpkin" is actually made out of IMPATIENS and was spotted in the Dallas Arboretum.... I found it by googling pumpkin topiaries....didn't make a run to Dallas for y'all today to get this pic! Isn't it amazing????

These caught my eye, as they just seem to be the perfect combination of colors and textures........found HERE....

And lastly I leave you with a photo that ALWAYS makes me smile!!!

Have a great Friday, y'all! I'll be on the run again.......take care!

A day on the go........

So I leave you with this....which can be said of so many blogging friends....

C.S. Lewis:

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one."

at some point this week, I need to stay home and clean house and put out some pumpkins....what's your week look like??????

A day on the go........

So I leave you with this....which can be said of so many blogging friends....

C.S. Lewis:

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one."

at some point this week, I need to stay home and clean house and put out some pumpkins....what's your week look like??????

the pumpkin patch is growing.....

I'm still working on the pumpkin patch over here, and I"m out the door to see my five favorite little punkins....I'll be back later with more details, but I wanted to give you a peek into what I"ve been doing in the few spare minutes I've had lately. They are still in the works and the photos are not great, but you can get an idea....have a fabulous Monday my friends. I'll be doing my fall decorating tomorrow and Wednesday, hopefully, assuming I can get those fall boxes out of the attic! Take care!

the pumpkin patch is growing.....

I'm still working on the pumpkin patch over here, and I"m out the door to see my five favorite little punkins....I'll be back later with more details, but I wanted to give you a peek into what I"ve been doing in the few spare minutes I've had lately. They are still in the works and the photos are not great, but you can get an idea....have a fabulous Monday my friends. I'll be doing my fall decorating tomorrow and Wednesday, hopefully, assuming I can get those fall boxes out of the attic! Take care!

Do you love your flavored mixed coffee drinks???

Be it Starbucks or any other favorite local coffee bar, you surely must have your favorite......Pumpkin Spiced Latte anyone?? Some folks don't like spices mixed in their coffee, and prefer chocolate or caramel.......some other favorite then?
A friend just sent this to me, and I thought I'd share, like a good friend would do! ;)

http://thinkinsidetheicebox.com/2008/10/04/pumpkin-spice-latte/
And with the money you save, you can make some of these MUMKINS.....isn't that the cutest??? PK from RoomRemixBlog featured these on her blog, and I think they are adorable!!

Speaking of pumpkins, I've got a few pumpkins in the works here at the Casa de SouthernInspiration!!! Come back tomorrow for the unveiling of the pumpkin patch!!!

Do you love your flavored mixed coffee drinks???

Be it Starbucks or any other favorite local coffee bar, you surely must have your favorite......Pumpkin Spiced Latte anyone?? Some folks don't like spices mixed in their coffee, and prefer chocolate or caramel.......some other favorite then?
A friend just sent this to me, and I thought I'd share, like a good friend would do! ;)

http://thinkinsidetheicebox.com/2008/10/04/pumpkin-spice-latte/
And with the money you save, you can make some of these MUMKINS.....isn't that the cutest??? PK from RoomRemixBlog featured these on her blog, and I think they are adorable!!

Speaking of pumpkins, I've got a few pumpkins in the works here at the Casa de SouthernInspiration!!! Come back tomorrow for the unveiling of the pumpkin patch!!!

How to cut brownies....and finding things that make life easier!!!!!

I thought everyone knew this, but apparently NOT....I recently remarked to a friend to cut brownies with a PLASTIC knife to keep a nice clean cut (even when they are hot), rather than a ragged tear, messing up the pan of brownies.....works even on commercial made brownies like you can buy at Sam's....

My friend Renee posted it on Lifehacker, which I just learned about when she told me about it today, and it was well received. So I thought I'd pass on the tip to my blog friends....did YOU know this????? Make some brownies today and try it out!!! What a fun experiment!!

Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done

How to cut brownies....and finding things that make life easier!!!!!

I thought everyone knew this, but apparently NOT....I recently remarked to a friend to cut brownies with a PLASTIC knife to keep a nice clean cut (even when they are hot), rather than a ragged tear, messing up the pan of brownies.....works even on commercial made brownies like you can buy at Sam's....

My friend Renee posted it on Lifehacker, which I just learned about when she told me about it today, and it was well received. So I thought I'd pass on the tip to my blog friends....did YOU know this????? Make some brownies today and try it out!!! What a fun experiment!!

Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done

Monday again????

Another busy day....I never post on Monday mornings because I am out the door to see my favorite quintuplets!! check them out here.......
They are all so adorable and I never tire of going to play with them. It seems unfathomable that their mommy gets it all done, but she is a fabulous mom and is doing so well. So I'll be back later with more about Monday.....have a magnificent Monday, y'all!!!

Edited to add, it was a delightful day, full of fun and giggles........and a few kisses! I forgot to link to their blog above as I should have, so if you want to read about these little munchins, the cutest quints I know go here....

Monday again????

Another busy day....I never post on Monday mornings because I am out the door to see my favorite quintuplets!! check them out here.......
They are all so adorable and I never tire of going to play with them. It seems unfathomable that their mommy gets it all done, but she is a fabulous mom and is doing so well. So I'll be back later with more about Monday.....have a magnificent Monday, y'all!!!

Edited to add, it was a delightful day, full of fun and giggles........and a few kisses! I forgot to link to their blog above as I should have, so if you want to read about these little munchins, the cutest quints I know go here....

Hi blogging friends,
I took a few days off, unplugged a little bit because I was tied up with some other things.....and then a few things threw me off (one of which amounted to losing my keys and then finding them the next day, but took some calling and driving to make it happen!!!) and before I knew it, several days had gone by.Plus I felt like I needed to slow down the amount of things going into my head; do you ever have days like that? Creative ideas are great, seeing others projects is great, reading about saving money is great, praying for others is great, but every once in a while, I need to limit the input...so I did that for a few days.

I'm glad you enjoyed the tablesettings from the SLaHOME convention. They always WOW us with nifty, creative ideas for making a party fun! Some of the clever ideas they come up with amaze me....and they get paid to have fun and be creative! How fun is that? But then my job is easier because of them and I get paid to have my own kind of fun, too! I never saw myself in the direct sales business but it just kind of happened and it was a great creative outlet, and I like to think I make a difference in the lives of people, helping them make their homes a beautiful place.
Enough of that.....

I have some creative plans for today.....other than the laundry I need to do and cooking that needs to get done. I have plans to get out my sewing machine and make something. Something that I saw in the blogging community, and really got my attention.....So I bought some beautiful fabric, and a few other pretties and I hope to be able to share with you my own creations sometime next week. Ok, not the best pics but you can see the gorgeous fall colors I found at the fabric store, most in the remnant bin........for the first time in a long time, I am excited about sewing something! And it's a gloomy, overcast day, with 80% chance of rain, so a perfect day to be creative! I hope your day is good, too!

Hi blogging friends,
I took a few days off, unplugged a little bit because I was tied up with some other things.....and then a few things threw me off (one of which amounted to losing my keys and then finding them the next day, but took some calling and driving to make it happen!!!) and before I knew it, several days had gone by.Plus I felt like I needed to slow down the amount of things going into my head; do you ever have days like that? Creative ideas are great, seeing others projects is great, reading about saving money is great, praying for others is great, but every once in a while, I need to limit the input...so I did that for a few days.

I'm glad you enjoyed the tablesettings from the SLaHOME convention. They always WOW us with nifty, creative ideas for making a party fun! Some of the clever ideas they come up with amaze me....and they get paid to have fun and be creative! How fun is that? But then my job is easier because of them and I get paid to have my own kind of fun, too! I never saw myself in the direct sales business but it just kind of happened and it was a great creative outlet, and I like to think I make a difference in the lives of people, helping them make their homes a beautiful place.
Enough of that.....

I have some creative plans for today.....other than the laundry I need to do and cooking that needs to get done. I have plans to get out my sewing machine and make something. Something that I saw in the blogging community, and really got my attention.....So I bought some beautiful fabric, and a few other pretties and I hope to be able to share with you my own creations sometime next week. Ok, not the best pics but you can see the gorgeous fall colors I found at the fabric store, most in the remnant bin........for the first time in a long time, I am excited about sewing something! And it's a gloomy, overcast day, with 80% chance of rain, so a perfect day to be creative! I hope your day is good, too!

A few more table decorating ideas from SLatHOME

More table top ideas from the Southern Living at HOME convention this past summer. They can be used like a template........mix and match what you have to mimic what you see here....OR you can contact me to buy the whole tabletop itself!! LOL.....
I just thought they were so beautiful I wanted to share them with you; you may find some inspiration and it may lead you to set a table that is oh so inspiring to those you love! Click on the pics to see better detail....and enjoy!




These tables will bring new meaning to the term "table topper"!!!!